The United Kingdom based startup Vertical Aerospace has amassed one of the single largest pre-order pools of any nascent eVTOL manufacturer. To date, Vertical reports that a diverse range of global operators have collectively placed1,500 pre-orders for the company’s VX4 production aircraft, altogether amassing a value of some $6.0 billion.
The VX4 takes flight utilizing eight electrically powered propellers, with the ensemble consisting of four large tilt-shift propellers supplemented by four smaller ones in the VTOL configuration. The wings and fuselage of the aircraft are constructed with carbon fiber composite materials and the design encompasses a V-shaped tail configuration. Vertical has partnered with U.S aerospace-electronics manufacturer Honeywell for the provision of the VX4’s avionics suite.
Vertical has outlined ambitions to fully introduce the VX4 onto the commercial market by 2025-2026. The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted Vertical a Permit to Fly the VX4 for testing purposes in September 2022 and subsequently issued a Design Organization Approval (DOA) for the platform in March 2023. Over the past year, Vertical has collaborated extensively with the CAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to rationalize the certification process for the platform across both market areas. Reflecting the global reach of the company’s order log, Vertical is also seeking type certification from the U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC). Pre-order clients for the VX4 include American Airlines, the U.K-based Bristow Group, the Marubeni Corporation trading company and Japan Airlines (JAL) and the South-Korea based Kakao Mobility, amongst others.
